This invention concerns an abrasion device which may be used in the surgical procedure of dermabrasion.
Dermabrasion constitutes an established surgical method for improvement of skin contour by purposeful abrasion of the skin to one of its constituent levels known as the dermis, and such action is known by this name.
The physical means of achieving this at present are via abrasive pads which are hand held or rotating wire brushes or abrasive drums which are moved across the skin in a stroking motion so as to remove irregularities when these are proud of the general skin contour or to reduce the skin thickness to meet the level of irregularities when these are below the skin surface as in the case of pits and pocks.
Use of hand held pads incur excessive hand supportive manipulation of the involved tissues with difficult control of these tissues and this can result in inaccurate execution of the procedure. Furthermore this is time consuming and by virtue of this can result in a weakening of the effect of a local anaesthetic agent when this has been used, or cause more of this to be used than otherwise might be necessary and in the case where general anaesthesia has been used result in prolonging such anaesthesia and increasing the risks attached thereto.
In the case of the above mentioned rotary devices used for the purpose of dermabrasion these have relatively rigid forms compared to the skin surface on which they are meant to act and can themselves impose unsightly contour defects on the softer skin surface, which is hereinafter referred to as contouring, guttering or grooving, and this constitutes an undesirable feature of these devices.
A centrifugal dermabrader, in accordance with the invention makes it possible to provide rotary dermabrasion with a gentler action, greater control of the depth of dermabrasion and with reduced risk of undesirable contouring or guttering occuring.